I'm fine, they're all nuts!! Making communication work with all the nuts in your life.
By Hal Barr
Have you ever found yourself in the parking lot after work, firmly gripping the steering wheel, twisting and turning it and wishing it wass the neck of that co-worker, boss or client who just didn't get it! Before you start looking around to see if someone is monitoring your computer, wondering if your on the brink of going postal, there isn't a single person that I know of that hasn't done just that at some point in their lives. Or maybe under your breath you've caught yourself saying " I wish these customers would just leave me alone so I can get some work done, only to realize without them, there is no need for you.
There are so many of us right this second that are stressed to the max, looking at the economy, their job, their retirement fund, their mortgage, their bills and wondering how they are going to keep their game face on when all things around them are out of control. And try to talk about it to someone about your issues and you are liable to get an earful of their's, which provides some solace because you realize there are others out there worse off than you. In the midst of all this confusion, what is really lacking is the ability to understand and communicate with others in a productive way. When people get in this stressed position they normally default to a survival mode which does very little to eliminate communication issues and in fact grinds them to a halt.
But what if you could learn how to communicate with all types of people, regardless of their circumstances, relieve the stress in your life and help others get back a little control of their own lives. How awesome would that be? Well ther; is a way to achieve that for you and the others around you. The golden rule says; "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", which sounds nice but to get real results you need to employ the platinum rule which states; "Do unto others as they would have done unto themselves". Slightly different phrasing but infinitely more powerful in getting things done.
So how does this platinum rule work? Well you really need to go back an look at yourself first. Most people at some point int heir careers have had personality profiles done on them, whether it was Myers Briggs, Calibre, DISC or some other program. Most people understand, or at least have been told. they exhibit some dominate personality trait which usually falls into one of four quadrants. You've heard of people referred to as a type A, or a Driver, or an Analytical or any host of labels. The reason these assessments are given is that research shows that certain personality traits show up in certain job requirements. For instance, you wouldn't want to stick a person who is pioneering and outgoing in an office reviewing spreadsheets, while at the same time placing an introverted person in front of your customers trying to gain their trust and getting them enthusiastic about your product. This would be a recipe for disaster!
Not only is it important to match the right traits to the job, it is even more important to help people understand how to deal with different personalities or we will end up with miscommunication, stress and bad results. This is where other programs fail and where the training needs to be improved. By learning how a certain type of personality thinks, communicates and responds you will ultimate hold the holy grail of upward mobility and true success in your hand. If companies would just take the small amount of time and effort to instruct people how to communicate better with colleagues, customers, employees, friends or family, the world would be an incredible juggernaut of possibilities and results. The techniques are easy to understand , implement and have immediate impact, so it is hard to understand why we have not known of this and not seen it encouraged and implemented in the workplace. If that were the case, people would not need me to show them how they can get along better with the nuts of the world. In future editions I'll talk about the different styles in the world, help you to identify them, work better with them and achieve really remarkable results. In the mean time, don't forget that you maybe someone else's nut and they are raging at the steering wheel in the car parked right next to you!!
About the author: Hal Barr is a nationally known speaker and consultant with nearly thirty years of experience in the financial services industry. He now consults with managers, teams and individuals as to how to comunicate and achieve results, with less stress and have greater impact and satisfaction in the professional and personal lives.